So how will you use this figure? An updated blueshirt? A Cobra urban assault specialist who compliments the Alley-Viper corps? From a recent article in the G.I. Joe Club Newsletter John Warden seems to indicate this is an upgrade to the traditional blueshirt, though in some ways he almost comes off a bit too realistic for my tastes.
That’s not to say this is a bad figure, though… you can check out the full review on the Pursuit of Cobra Review Page, or click the link below:
great looking fig. really looking forward to it. with all that gear, creating distinctive troopers should be easy.
as far as the realistic approach….consider this…
seems like a few of the figs in this wave are meant to be “renegades transitional”. with that in mind and the fact that in the cartoon “Cobra” is more like RoboCop’s OCP with its hands in all aspects of life/business….perhaps this guy is more align with Cobra’s “civil defense” arm than Cobra’s terror activities. (yet with the gear, easily interchangable between those two divisions—when the time is right, of course)
also….he sure is advertising “Cobra” enough on his uniform and gear….not exactly a clandestine practice.
I have to agree that without the sigils, he could be a generic “real-world” SWAT guy… probably why he has half a dozen sigils branded on him. “Hey, just in case you turn him to this angle and forget, HE IS TOTALLY A COBRA SOLDIER, OKAY?!”
I kinda see this guys as Alley Vipers in training, but maybe that’s just me. Great looking figure, tho. Here’s hoping that I can actually find some at retail.
This is a great figure, but I would actually rate it somewhere behind Duke. Why? That silly neck. Why did the neck portion of the balaclava get sculpted along with the head? It almost ruins an otherwise perfect figure. I understand that in real life, these are one piece. But so is a shirt, yet we still get articulation at the shoulders, elbows, and chest.
The real problem is that while it is articulated, it does make it difficult to find ways to position the head without it sticking out/up so far that it looks silly. I am impressed that this wasn’t as much of an issue in your photo shoot. This figure pretty much can’t look up. He can, but it won’t look right.
This is indeed a great figure. But it still managed to be a case where my out-of-package experience was a bit of a downer.
The size of the head alone is enough to keep me from using this “bobble head” in my Joe world.
However, the figure can be used for so many other cool things, good gear too.
I do have a question though, is this a store bought version Justin? I ask because in the pictures we can see his upper legs nearly coming apart and his face paint is a freakin mess (like lots of figures lately but still).
It seems while accessory quality is going through the roof, there is little quality control on the production floor.
Nevertheless, a minor little quibble. Just curious.
I plan on using this guy (and the 4 others I got from BBTS) as corporate security for Extensive Enterprises. With EE operating in a lot of hostile areas, Cobra Security (as I call them) is the heavy protection detail for the Twins and other valuable EE property. Think of them like some of the corporate soldiers that are working in the Middle East and other “hot zones” only employed by the bad guys.
that paint is a mess to be certain. its bad enough that a paint job like that in the wild will keep me from pulling the wallet.
worst paint apps on a joe that i can remember (2007 til now)…..shipwreck. (falcon was really bad too….but i dont care for falcon as a character nearly as much as shipwreck)
Great points about the nature of this figure, all. I really like it, and do want to army build them as a kind of blue-shirt, but I really like the Cobra Security Force idea presented above.
I’ve been much more interested in the “real” aspects of GI Joe lately, but this guy is so loaded, I think he fits well with the AVs and JVs of the POC line. Cobra has so many great divisions, it kinda doesn’t really matter…a Cobra for every season!
Daddy likes.
Like 788 said, I think this guy easily flows into G.I. Joe Renegades, and the corporate security/private military corp COBRA utilizes. Just like the Duke and Storm Shadow figures in wave 1 for Pursuit of Cobra, all three remind me of the Renegades designs.
My plan is to use these as urban pacification for cities Cobra has taken control of through privatized police forces…
I didn’t see anyone mention he comes with a standard SWAT taser as well; we had that exact pistol version issued to us overseas.
Seeing the fig with that helmet and gas mask on… if the colour was switched to red/black with gold highlights – Iron Grenadier anyone? Mebbe for later as a repaint.
Delicious, now to go order some.